Real fur vs. faux fur, it has been a discussion on Chictopia for over two years now. Do we see the product as being something that was alive or not. To me it is unthinkable that something as a death animal can be considered to be chic worn on someone’s head or body. Those “fancy” (elderly) ladies who turn up their noses for anything that is disgusting in their eyes are forgetting that the process of making their “luxurious” coats is exactly that: “disgusting and inhumane”.

It’s the way they “manufacture” these products that just isn’t right (this is identical to meat and leather production). These elements are taken from animals as if it has never been their property.
After thousands of years of modern civilization, we are still forcing our will onto nature in order to alter it in any way we please.

A little bit of history: fur was most fashionable in the late eighties. At the time a lot of anti-fur campaigns were held (this one being my personal favorite) and they were successful. Fur was nowhere to be found during the nineties, however nowadays it seems that a lot of people have forgotten about how cruel the fur industry really is. What totally freaked me out earlier this decade was this Vogue fashion spread, where the French Vogue literally gave the finger to the anti-fur campaigns. Where are we going with this? Have we really forgotten everything that’s not right about the fur industry?

Meet some Chictopians that are doing it right…

1. Style_Fashionista scared me at first with her realistic faux fur coat
2. Beware_of_my_heels shares my believes (read more about it in her interview)
3. Cityofbugs goes for a more chic and more eco-friendly option, wearing her favorite faux fur hat
4. Starryeyed is wearing another chic alternative for a real fur coat
5. Mongrel I am in love with this look, giving us the best of both worlds, this is uberchic like a classic Chanel and it doens’t contain any real fur

Fur-facts:

1. Neither fur nor fur trim is a by-product of the meat industry.
2. Fur “farms” or “ranches” are not humane alternatives to trapping.
3. The annual commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet. Over 300,000 harp and hooded seals are killed for their pelts each year, with many skinned alive, according to independent veterinary reports.
4. The fur industry is a threat to our environment and wildlife, contributing to higher energy costs, pollution, land destruction, and reductions in populations of wild animals, including endangered and threatened species that may be accidentally trapped and killed.
5. Fur is not “eco-friendly,” they are loaded with chemicals to keep them from decomposing in buyers’ closets… It takes more than 60 times as much energy to produce a fur coat from ranch-raised animals than it does to produce fake fur.

Last but most importantly some quotes from the several fur-topics at our own forum. I’ve read every comment and noticed that people seem to be more against it now then ten months ago. Do keep in mind that I also wanted to show that not everyone agrees with my point of view (if your name has been mentioned here and you don’t like it, let me know and I will remove your comment):

EveyHoneySuckle … real fur is luxurious, but I don’t think I could NOT feel bad in someway if i’m wearing real.

ChuChuRonaldo Ok, here’s the thing I AM OBSESSED WITH FUR. Fake fur for now… but I’ve seen a few real fur vests and they feel amazing! They are so glamorous… I think I’m moving to the dark side… I don’t understand what the big difference is, half of you girls probably aren’t even vegetarians, you guys are eating animals… while other people are wearing it?! It’s the same thing really. You guys shouldn’t be so judgmental.

RoswellVixen I’m fine with FAKE fur/leather etc. you can find fake ones that are almost as nice as the real ones. I think that if it were required for people to have to kill the animal themselves if they wanted real fur/leather… less people would wear them and go faux…
I don’t eat all that much meat I just feel that since food is something we NEED to survive then eating meat should be your own decision, but you don’t NEED real fur/leather so…

32348 if you’re against fur, you should be against leather and eating meat as well…otherwise, it’s kind of hypocritical. What else would you ban wearing? Silk…they boil silkworms in hot water to harvest silk. Wool, pashmina, cashmere…they remove the extra “fur” off sheep and sometimes violently as well. And animal testing of cosmetic products? Who researches where they get our makeup products? I’m just putting it out there because animal/creature cruelty comes in many forms, not just in the ones that are more commonly publicized.However, the alternatives for avoiding animal products leads to more petroleum-based materials that harm the environment. So it’s pretty much a battle between saving animals or saving the earth.
Also, in most of the world, fur-wearing isn’t a necessity, it’s just fashion. But what if you lived in Russia or similarly cold countries? Nothing is warmer than fur over there. So I say, if it’s a necessity…why not have fur? But if it’s just for fashion, I’m against it.

Marjul I believe fashion is used to express oneself outwardly. But I don’t believe that in order to do that, they have to kill an animal for temporary vanity.

Monticelloshoes Although in our past history, lifestyles consisted of real furs and leathers. It was a part of human nature to hunt animals for food and use their furs and skin for clothing. I don’t think it’s anything wrong with wearing fur from an already deceased animal but killing them just for the fur I do not agree with. However, if we can make man made leathers and furs just as good as the real thing, then why even bother using the real stuff?

Katiemd I don’t want to sound heartless, but I never really think about leather coming from an animal. I don’t know why, but I only own leather shoes and some bags. If I were to get a jacket I’d get faux leather since it’s cheaper, same with fur. The only way I’d buy something with real fur is if it was bought from a thrift store.

ShowMeSomeStyle I used to have a mink fur scarf my Granny gave me when I was sixteen. I loved it to death and lost it at a party :( I don’t think I will ever buy real fur, though. And I don’t see why vintage fur is different from “new” fur. …

Catherinee … I think people are just skeptical to wear the skins of furry animals, because they tend to be cute. In addition, the fur farms often have horrible conditions, and I’d imagine that some people can’t get behind that… especially when wearing fur is sometimes frowned upon, though eating meat is generally accepted.

Boredstephanie … fur farms are horrible places and just thinking about wearing dead animals is just disgusting. Leather is different for me because the cows they use also are used for meat so it seems less cruel than just skinning an animal simply to look pretty. I’m also a huge lover of furry little animals so I can’t bear to think I’m contributing to their horrible conditions. Thinking fur is “high class” is so outdated anyway. Do you know how many bunnies they skin to make just one coat? Think of at least 10 dead bunny carcasses hanging off of you…

JUKILOVE I love the fur trend, and I am only wearing faux fur. Still I feel a vibe of taboo when I wear a faux fur jacket. It’s not the idea that I had a hand in distinguishing an animal (because I didn’t, it’s faux) but it’s promoting a ‘fur is okay’ standpoint.
I don’t believe that people eating meat is a justification for wearing real fur. It’s saying that the necessity of eating is on the same level of the luxury of wearing a fur, which I think is a bad comparison. Also, the skins of animals used for food are not saved to make fur; just the same as the flesh of animals used for fur are not saved to make food. If I could find a fur jacket made from an animal that was also used to feed people, I would wear it with peace of mind.

Bserene I don’t like it. It’s too cruella deville style. I can’t get into it.

Taylorjonas id never wear real fur people who wear it are disgusting. Faux fur is okay but still :/

I know that although this article is profound, it only reveals a tip of the veil, there is so much more to this subject. And we must realize fur is not the only thing produced and manufactured in ways that are just not correct, but it is the topic of this article for this “fashion community”. Whether or not we all should become vegetarians is not to the point of this fashion destination.

u know.. i also made this discussion on Lookbook.nu one year ago i think, here: http://forum.lookbook.nu/show/10343-REAL-or-FAKE and yeah, there are black and white comments.. some people said Yes for Real Fur and other for Faux Fur.. and have very different reasons from all the comments.. and for me: http://lookbook.nu/user/forum_comments_made/82251-Glory-A Thank you!

Great post Ange! I've enver been able to bring myself to buy or wear real fur. The idea of it makes my skin crawl! I love that synthetic fur has been made so well in recent years to help prevent the sacrifice of harmless animals. Ugh, my stomach turns just thinking about. Thanks again for posting this! Faved =)

Amazing post. I think real fur is disgusting to wear. I mean if you're not freezing to death in frigid weather (and I mean REALLY frigid) why wear a dead animals body? It is sick. On the other hand I don't feel like eating meat is comparable to wearing fur. Why do people wear fur? For satisfaction, to look good. Why do people eat? To stay alive. Meat contains a lot of the essentials to be healthy.

ohh gosh, l absolutely adore this post, dear!! fur is definetely sooo chic and cozy at the same time! l found a fur collar last days in a trifted store and l'm so in love with it<33 :)) can't wait to wear it with my leather jacket. l already used it with a simple cardi and it looks lovely too.

So true! I find real fur sooo disgusting! I'd never wear a real fur item no mat ter how pretty it looked. Ew!
But I agree on the one person who said that if you refuse fur you actually have to refuse leather and maybe even meat as well.
I def. agree on the leather but I'm not sure about the meat argument because I think if you buy organic meat from local farms or so it's okay?!

I'm not anti real fur (my friends actually say that I'm quite the Cruella deVil when it comes to this issue! ;) ) but this was a very interesting, and well-informed article. It's good to see some controversial topics being discussed on EIU.

angiekje on November 09
I'm not against the people who aren't against fur ;) as you might have guessed, it is the process that is just wrong... so I appreciate your comment :) I do have a dalmatian, please spare her :)

Madame Angie, this article took such compassion and BRAVERY to write! Frankly Faux Fur is also, much cleaner than actual fur as it does not have "oils" from the animal. I am allergic to oils and hair associated to some types of fur, so wearing faux is much easier on me and mine. Anyone who knows of the spirit and souls of animals, would not wear FUR...To Torture to 'up$' is 100%WRONG!

wonderful post angie! I think this quote says a lot, whether or not it relates to fashion: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" - Mahatma Ghandi ...p.s. long live animal rights and veganism! :)